Authors:Reuben FordMarc FrenetteClaudia NicholsonIsaac KwakyeTaylor Shek-Wai HuiJudith HutchisonSabina DobrerHeather Smith FowlerSophie Hébert
This report shows that offering either career education or an early guarantee of financial aid, separately or in combination, to high-school students had significant impacts on their enrolment in post-secondary studies. SRDC’s rigorous evaluation of these interventions found both to increase access to college or university for students traditionally less-likely to attend, such as those from lower-income lower-education families, and boys. The two interventions were tested with some 5,400 students in 51 high schools between 2004 and 2008 as part of the Future to Discover (FTD) project:
A detailed benefit-cost analysis found the early promise of a bursary in particular to be very cost-effective, due to its low administrative cost. It generated $2.00 to $3.40 in benefits to society for each dollar cost to government.
The report presents a full account of the impacts of Future to Discover on the main outcomes of interest including graduation from high school, applying for and enrolling in different types of post-secondary education for the different education systems and population sub-groups. Many interim impacts of the interventions are also of interest, such as on students’ course choices and achievement while in high school, and these are available and in a separate working paper based on school records data. Through rigorous evaluation, Future to Discover is providing much-needed knowledge to inform the selection of programs that deliver the most benefit to Canada’s economy and support all youth in having the opportunity to achieve their potential.
Published: November 2012
Capability: Experimentation
Policy Area: Post-Secondary Education, P-12 Education
Population: Students - Youth - Children
Type: Executive summary, Working paper, Full report